It has been a week of mixed national news. We are sadly seeing record numbers of Covid infections and deaths but we are also seeing positive developments with the vaccine rollout and the news that the government will start using 24hrs a day vaccine centres. The vaccine is the way out of this crisis and as more people receive the vaccine the sooner restrictions can be eased.

We also had the news this week that the government has pushed back the start date for pre-departure testing. This will now come into effect from Monday morning and means all persons arriving in the UK from outside the Common Travel Area must provide evidence of a negative Covid - 19 PCR standard test taken within the preceding 72 hrs. A liability will be placed on carriers to ensure that documentation demonstrating a test is confirmed and checked by carriers for each passenger at the pre-boarding, check-in stage. Passengers, unless exempt, without a negative test should be denied boarding. Passengers arriving without a test will be fined £500 and the carriers liability is £2000 per passenger. However seafarers, masters, pilots and a number of other persons are exempt this testing requirement. If members have any questions or difficulties with the policy, please do reach out to Policy Director Gavin Simmonds.

I was delighted this week to welcome Conway Merchant Navy Trust to the Chamber. It is great to build our membership during these tough times and everyone at the Chamber is looking forward to working with them over the coming months.

Next week on 21 January, in partnership with The International Bunkering Industry Association and Shell we will be hosting the Alternative Fuels in the Maritime Industry Virtual Round Table. The event will look at a variety of fuels which one may not think of directly when thinking about marine fuel oil. Shell will delve deeper into their journey on the energy transition pathway and shed light on alternative fuels to use in the shipping industry. After the presentation, we will have a virtual round table with Shell (Marcel van den Berg – Business Development Manager GTL Fuel), IBIA (Unni Einemo – Director and IMO Representative) and DNV GL (Christos Chryssakis – Business Development Manager Maritime). Head to our website to book your place.

 
We also have our Understanding UK Shipping course taking place on 26 January. This day long event is great for anyone new to the sector or someone looking to refresh their knowledge. Our policy experts will lead the day’s proceedings and you can book your ticket here.
 
And finally this week our Virtual Conference is now less than a month away. I am delighted that we have added V.Group and Fraser Nash as gold sponsors. V.Group will be sponsoring the Safety Session which will involve Mike Bradshaw (V Group), Katy Ware (MCA), Chris McDade (Teekay Shipping) and Stuart Edmonston (UK P and I Club). Frazer-Nash will sponsor the Environment Breakout Session with a panel including Tom Strang (Carnival), Dr Tristan Smith (UMAS), Nick Brown (Lloyd's Register), Bud Darr (MSC) and Howard Lungley (Frazer-Nash). And next week look out for details of our morning keynote speakers.
 

Bob